From Downton Abbey to Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal: Michelle Dockery will reprise her role as Lady Mary in the film sequel and talks #MeToo, her recent engagement, and her inspiring family
- Her Downton role earned her three Emmy nominations while she’s also been in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen with Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Grant
- Her former fiancé, John Dineen, died of brain cancer, but she is now engaged to Jasper Waller-Bridge, TV producer brother of Fleabag creator/star Phoebe
As the luminous Lady Mary Crawley of Downton Abbey, Michelle Dockery found a “once-in-a-lifetime” role that has earned her three Emmy nominations and worldwide recognition. Ever since the wildly popular British TV series debuted in 2010, audiences have gravitated towards Dockery’s coolly imperious aristocratic temptress. It’s the kind of momentous success that no one in the industry could have predicted, least of all the actress herself.
Following the enthusiastic response to the 2019 Downton Abbey feature film that raked in US$200 million worldwide, audiences are now being treated to the highly anticipated sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era. The follow-up movie chronicles the further adventures of Lady Mary Crawley and her aristocratic world, reflecting the fading grandeur of the British Empire before and after World War I, and the 40-year-old Dockery is grateful for the opportunity to return to her career-defining role.
“It was like going home, like it always is,” Dockery said. “It’s wonderful to spend time apart, and then we’ll come back together because we are like a family. I love playing her. And I love what [series creator/writer] Julian [Fellowes] comes up with for each character. It’s always so unexpected and something new.”
In the case of Lady Mary, some of Dockery’s own unflinching personality has seeped into Mary’s incandescent charm and self-confidence. The actress herself resists all comparisons with her screen alter ego and was particularly intent to bring more warmth to the character over time.
“She’s very different from me and so it was always interesting from the start to play someone who is cool and aloof and can be unpleasant at times. I’ve also been able to add many different layers to soften her and make her less forbidding than she has a tendency to be,” she said.
“But what I’ve always loved about Mary is her complexity and willingness to question the many limitations that were imposed upon women in her time, especially the social pressures involving men and marriage. Mary is quite a modern woman in that sense.”
Ultimately, Dockery is proud of having been able to empower other women who have watched Lady Mary evolve over the years. She is also keenly aware of how important it is for the entertainment industry to continue developing dynamic and confident female characters that better reflect changing social and political values.
I was very lucky that I started finding work at a time when a lot more serious and nuanced roles were beginning to be created for women
“I was very lucky that I started finding work at a time when a lot more serious and nuanced roles were beginning to be created for women. I’ve often been able to play complex, independent women where one can explore strengths as much as weaknesses and contradictions. That is the kind of richness and depth to a character that you’re always searching for,” she added.